I called my gym yesterday to find out if the extended lap swim times were still on for Monday, Wednesday and Friday. It was a fairly simple question but it stunned the girl on the other end. She was nice enough but apparently had no idea what I was talking about. Instead she rattled off the regular schedule (for the wrong day) and hung up. So, I dragged my ass down there to check it out for myself. Thankfully there was one day left on the extended schedule so I got my swim in and didn't have to go back home bitter. My point is... if my gym had a Web site with the schedule and special notices posted, I wouldn't have to try and recall what the note on the wall said or bother anyone by calling. It's the easiest thing in the world to set up and it blows my mind when I still encounter businesses that don't have one. As Wayne said: "GET THE 'NET! LIVE IN THE NOW!"

- Judianne

Let the flame wars begin, but I'm going to say it right here and now: Allentown is officially cooler than Bethlehem.  Bethlehem gets all the love because it's like the darling child of the Lehigh Valley, while Allentown gets pretty much universally shat upon by everyone - everyone except those of us who live here.

It's kind of like NYC and Philly - the world loves NYC, but those of us who live around here know you can have just as good a time without all the expense and bother of going to NY.  People also bestow a more "upscale" image on Bethlehem and that's true, to a degree, but I defy you to go to West Allentown and not find some killer places to live.

How about the venues?  Yeah, parts of Center City Allentown are sketch, but so is like the ENTIRE SouthSide.  There are lots of great places to go out in Center City, and even more as you venture into other parts of the city. I'm not just talking Banana Joes, Croc Rock and the Sterling - I know that's what most people think of, but there are tons of places to go that are filled with a great crowd.

Allentown is also a lot more socially diverse.  I find going out in Bethlehem to be just a mirror of my Lehigh days.  Everyone is more or less riding the young professional train, the only difference is that they've grown out of popping their collars. In Allentown you'll find all kinds of people, and not just sketchy ones.  The scene is much more laid back and, believe it or not, friendlier.  Bethlehem is just too damned cliquey for my tastes.

Going outside the normal social scene, the Allentown Fair has already whooped Musikfest's ass this year and it's only the third day.  The Black Eyed Peas show alone was better than all the main stage shows I saw at the Fest (and yes, I was at LL Cool J/Ne-Yo), and after tonight's Flaming Lips/Sonic Youth/Ween/Magic Numbers show everything else will just be gravy.  So what if you can't drink in the streets, you can go to Maingate/Gate 9 or Ringers Roost or any of the other walking-distance bars for a few beers at way cheaper than Musikfest mug prices.

So, in short, take your Bethlehem and shove it.  Allentown's the place to be, and it's only looking up - there's new stuff popping up all over town.  Pretty soon, we'll be fighting off the Bethlehem people with sticks... or at the least holding them up for their wallets on 10th street by the cemetery.

    -Tucker

With so many people - of all walks of life - mixing and mingling, sitting and standing so close together at the Allentown Fair, there are bound to be some explosive moments.

I witnessed one yesterday at the bumper cars. The carnie worker was in a shouting match with a man and woman over something about their kid not being able to work the bumper car properly. The guy told them to just go on again but that didn't seem to satisfy. I'm not exactly sure what they wanted as restitution but the ride operator didn't really have the inclination to find out. They finally left because the kids didn't even want to ride. As they walked away I saw the son hit the daughter, the mother hit the son and a huge family fight ensued. I felt bad for them but they didn't seem to care that people were starring and labeling them as completely ghetto. The carnie worker just kept at his post with his jeans fixed tightly around his thighs by a belt and his red boxer puffed out on top, smoking a cigarette and looking bored.

I'm convinced that the whole thing was only something you'd see at the Allentown Fair. It's like these crazed looking people are shipped in special for Fair time because I don't see them anywhere else (not of that "caliber" anyway).

It's a weird time of year to be out of college for a while with younger friends still studying nearby.  Suddenly I've got a whole bunch of people returning to the area wanting to hang out, people bitching about classes starting (yesterday, for all my Lehigh folks), people recanting stories of wild work-free summers, etc.  All it does is remind me how much fun I'm missing out here in the "real world."

We used to complain about school, couldn't wait for it to be over.  Someone asked me at the bar if I miss it yet, and they were kind of surprised when I said I started missing it before it was even over.  I was working a pretty heavy schedule my last semester at school, then started full time right away when I was done.  That was even worse, because at the time I was still living with all my college roommates. While it's nice to have beer pong already set up and waiting when you get home from work, drinking until the wee hours of the morning does not mix well with getting up and going to work.

Yeah, of course I miss college - deep down, who doesn't?  We got to set our own schedules (to a degree - at least you knew which classes you could miss/sleep through), the drama was confined mostly to 'who's dating who'...  life was simpler. 

So to all of you students whining about 8 a.m. classes or crappy professors, I say shut the hell up unless you want me to hunt you down and smack you silly.  If you want to trade spots for a week, I promise I'll only flunk math quizzes.

    -Tucker

This morning I witnessed an innovation in driving. We've all hear of the parallel park but this guy pulls a parallel lane change.

I was in the right lane, moving along slowly at about 40 miles an hour or so among a bunch of other cars with people on their way to work as well. When, all of a sudden, a guy in the left lane turns his car all the way to the right to drive straight into my lane (and almost into the car in front of me). Of course, maneuvering to the left to get back with the flow of traffic was a feat but he seemed confident. I, on the other hand, had to slam on my breaks and swerve off onto the shoulder. I screamed along with my tires.

Phew! I didn’t hit anything and neither did the circus driver now in front of me.

I was in shock and my adrenaline was pumping like crazy. I didn't know what to do or say so I just kept driving. I suppose a little road rage at that point would have been appropriate but I just didn't think it would do any good. Clearly this guy was oblivious to the danger of his impromptu left turn on a one-way highway, and anyway he exited at the next off ramp. Gee, I hope he got to the mall on time.

- Judianne

PS: JERK!

So I've been taking a very deep tour through Iron Maiden's discography to make sure I'm ready to see them in October (hell yeah).  Most of the albums simply kick ass - I knew some of their bigger albums, but this is the first time I've listened to some of them (hey, there's 14 studio albums including the new one, give me a little bit of a break).  Other than the fact that the band rocks hard, there's one thing that stands out strongly: the two albums without "classic" lead singer Bruce Dickinson just aren't up to snuff.

Now, I've seen lots of bands with altered lineups before, and they've all had varying degrees of quality.  Lynyrd Skynyrd, for example, was great (though hardcore fans probably disagree).  And as much of a purist as I am, I will admit that Pink Floyd's Pulse CD/DVD is great even though it's sans-Waters.  Apparently Alice In Chains put on an excellent set at Musikfest Layne Staley-less.

But Iron Maiden's albums without Bruce Dickinson just don't have the same edge as the rest of the band's albums.  It's not a question of aging - after Dickinson rejoined the band in 1999 the quality rises again significantly.  This year's A Matter Of Life And Death is right up there with the best albums in their catalog, and it holds its own against most of the crap that's spewed on the Metal scene today.

So yes, do some serious homework before catching a band without their "original" or "classic" lineup.  It might not make a difference, but sometimes it can completely make or break the sound.  I'm just really psyched I can look forward to seeing Iron Maiden tear things up with the "good" lineup at the Tweeter Center in October.

    -Tucker

Everyone complains about the weekend.  The biggest issue is that it's always too short - that's just a given.  But if we have nothing to do, we bitch about how much it sucks to have boring weekends.  If we're running around, we just want to be able to sit around and relax.  It's a lose-lose situation.

I haven't had one of those "sit-around" kind of weekends in a very long time. Hell, I've had something major going on every weekend for at least two months, and it's getting really tiresome.  I want just a nice Saturday and Sunday off with no obligations, nothing to worry about, nowhere to be.

Of course, if I finally do get a chance to do that, I'll be complaining that I wish I had something to do.

    -Tucker

At first it was only a small problem. The smell of delicious, greasy Chinese food wafting over from another department on occassion. There is a group in my office (a very large group) that goes in every Friday to get Chinese delivered for lunch.

I try to stay away so as not to get sucked into the unhealthy void of the Friday binge. I did so successfully for several weeks, but not it's infiltrated my own department.

Today, a couple of guys that sit by me went over and dropped their cash into the mix for a piece of the Chinese action. They brought it back over to their desks and BOOM, I'm surrounded by the smell and my stomach is calling angrily up at me to eat Chinese food.

DAMN IT! What am I going to do now? My will power can only stand so much. I can feel my resolve weakening with ever slurp of noodles and crack of a fortune cookie.

- Judianne

After almost a year of waiting with excited anticipation, I finally got to see Snakes On A Plane last night.  It was great - everything I expected it to be.  There were seriously funny moments, Samuel L. Jackson being badass and, well, snakes. On a plane.

The trouble is, now that I've seen it, I feel empty.  While I enjoyed the movie, I think the hype and anticipation was almost more entertainment.  I'd gotten so used to all the defending of a film I've never seen, enjoying the campy Internet buzz, sending phone calls from Samuel L. Jackson back and forth...  Now, that's all gone.

It was a cool little phenomenon while it lasted, but I think it's finally time to move on from the Snakes On A Plane frenzy.  Maybe one day something will fill that void, but I certainly don't think so.  What I'm dreading now are the imitators and the marketeers who think they'll be able to manufacture similar buzz for less worthy flicks.  There will always be something special about Snakes On A Plane and nothing else will come close.  Now I guess I just have to wait for the DVD release to get another snakes fix.

    -Tucker

Ever since Blockbuster announced their "no late fees" campaign, I've been late with every movie I've rented. I was never late before but today I sitll have a copy of King Kong at home from more than a week ago. There's just no motivation to get in my car and take it back - yet. (I know I have about a month before they charge the movie to my credit card.) It's a bad habit and I don't like it. I'd rather have strict rules about when and where I need to return things. That's just so much easier for me to follow.

It reminds me of when I was little and the library announced they would stop charging late fees. The stipulation was that if you had books checked out past their due date, you couldn't check out any more until you returned that first batch. That was trouble for my lazy ass too. I just held onto the books for a long time until it was absolutely necessary for me to go back to the library. It didn't get me to read much. At least before when I was returning books for school research, I'd take a look around and possibly check out something fun to read. But why even go if you just don't have to.

I guess I am the saddest example of lazy American logic, but I have to be honest. Give me rules or watch me turn into a total slacker. But hey - that's what companies like NetFlix is counting on, right?

- Judianne